


Focus

by Trash_PandaTO



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Bikes, Cycling, EFA Fic Live 4, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24304915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trash_PandaTO/pseuds/Trash_PandaTO
Summary: Nicole is a cyclist. Waverly fell head over heels when Purgatory was the finish line to a bike race. But now she thinks it might be time to get her own bike
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 12
Kudos: 69





	Focus

**Author's Note:**

> This sort of links up to the world I created in Ride On way back when. It works as a standalone story, but if you ever wanted to read more about cyclist Nicole, that exists.

“Waverly, you really shouldn’t choose your bike based on the colour.”

Waverly huffed, but continued staring through the window of the bike shop. There were several bikes prominently displayed so that passers-by would notice. And Waverly noticed. More specifically, she had spotted a sleek looking road bike, black but with very distinct rainbow colours on some parts of the frame.

“But, what if I really want a colourful bike, one like this one?”

Nicole shook her head but smiled. “I know. I get it. It’s cool to have a bike that looks great. But it’s more important that it fits you and has the right components.”

Waverly huffed again. “That’s easy for you to say, woman who owns a grand total of seven bikes that all look badass. I bet you paid attention to colour when you chose them!”

Nicole chuckled. Over the years, she had ridden just about any style of bike imaginable. She still remembered her very first bike. After seeing a group of boys at a skate park after school one day, she had begged her parents for a BMX bike for months. What she got was a red children’s bike, with lights and heavy fenders and yellow tires. It was decidedly not a BMX bike, but she tore up the neighbourhood on it for years anyway. As she got older and got into racing, components and bike weight became the deciding factors along with price – she couldn’t afford much to start. Now, with her bikes being a mix of racing and “just for fun” bikes, she usually focussed on ride feel. Colour was never really part of the equation.

Nicole moved a bit closer to Waverly, slid a hand around her waist and pulled her away from the bike shop. “Enough ogling, let’s go so we don’t miss our dinner reservations.” 

Waverly protested for a second, eyes still firmly glued on the black and rainbow coloured bike. But as soon as she felt Nicole’s warm hand against her hip, all thoughts of bikes were history. She still had moments when she had to pinch herself a little. She was here, with Nicole. They were solid and Waverly couldn’t be happier. She happily let herself get pulled along toward the little Thai restaurant that had become their go-to spot ever since that first, no second, date.

Later, they were stretched out on Nicole’s couch, bellies full. Nicole was almost asleep, her eyes looked tired. Waverly looked over at her, amused at how much Nicole appeared to be fighting sleep. She reached out and started playing with Nicole’s hair, knowing that usually relaxed her enough. And it worked. After a few moments, she could feel Nicole’s breathing become slow and steady. Waverly smiled. She knew Nicole had spent the morning with a hard training ride and a swim in the afternoon. No wonder the woman was out. Waverly’s own sleep-wake rhythm was all over the map, mostly due to working changing shifts at the bar. She was relaxed, but nowhere near tired enough to sleep. She carefully pulled her laptop over, cautiously avoiding any noise or excess movement so as to not disturb Nicole. After a few seconds of wrestling with a small pillow to get comfortable, Waverly was all set. Research time. She opened her browser and went straight for a website that had been on her mind since before dinner: Focus bikes.

This was new for her. Prior to meeting Nicole, she never once thought about bikes. Purgatory was all trucks and ATVs, or snowmobiles in the winter. But then one day, a women’s bike race came to town and Waverly’s life changed. Nicole’s life revolved around bikes. She raced, she worked in a bike shop, she trained. They had been on bike dates together, and Waverly loved it. Riding, feeling the wind against her face, made her feel light and free. She loved the idea of being able to ride wherever she wanted. She had relied on Nicole renting bikes for her for their outings, but she had gotten to the point where she had seriously started thinking about buying one for herself. 

Waverly spent several weeks researching. Online, books, magazines. She was thorough, but she knew she needed a few specific pieces of information where her only good source was Nicole. And so the question game started.

“Hey Nicole?”

“Hm?”

“What kind of drivetrain would be good for a beginner?”

Nicole was a little distracted. She was in the middle of replacing some brake pads on her mountain bike, concentrating on the task at hand, but she was always up for bike talk. Anytime. 

“Oh, well, that depends a bit on what kind of riding this beginner wants to do and progress toward. And budget. That’s a big factor.”

Waverly nodded, more to herself than anything else. “So, would it be a good idea, budget permitting, to get a better drivetrain right away? Kind of to grow into?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely. If someone has the money to afford a good set of components from the start, that’s always good. Replacing something like a drivetrain later would be expensive.”

Waverly nodded again, and watched as Nicole finished with the work on her brake pads. Her hands were slightly dirty now and Waverly always marvelled at how Nicole could go from rugged mechanic hands to delicate, soft hands in a matter of moments.

Later that day, while she was chopping cilantro for dinner, Waverly continued to tick off the questions on her list. 

“That one bike you rented for me from the shop last month, what size was that?”

Nicole, on jalapeno slicing duty, quickly replied “that was a 49 centimeter frame. Why?”

“Oh, just wondering.”

Over the course of the next few days, Waverly got what she needed. She knew what she wanted, and she knew where she had to go next. There was only one problem: she wanted to do this on her own. She wanted to be able to show up at Nicole’s house with her own new bike. One that she picked. Not a rental, not a hand-me-down. Not one that Nicole chose for her. She had to do this in secret.

A few days later, Waverly walked into the bike shop. Nicole was out on a ride and would be back at the house in about two hours. Perfect timing if things worked out the way Waverly had planned.

“Hello there. I’m Renny. How can I help you?”

Renny was young and apparently very committed to his hipster look, down to a mustache and tight fitting jean shorts.

“Hi. Yes. I am interested in a specific bike you have and am wondering if you can tell me more about it. It’s the Focus over in your window.”

Renny turned his head, following Waverly’s gesturing. He smirked a little, turned back to Waverly, seemingly taking in her appearance.

“Well, Miss…that’s a lot of bike. Are you sure that’s the one you want to know more about?”

Waverly froze a little. She hadn’t expected to get challenged on her choice. Sure, Renny was the bike shop guy, so he probably knew his stuff, but did he have any idea how much research Waverly put into this? How many different sources went into this decision? Also, whatever happened to good customer service? At this point, Waverly was fuming.

“Let’s see, Renny. Yes. I am sure. I know it’s a 2018 Focus Izalco Max. It looks like a SRAM drivetrain. Mavic wheels. It’s pretty much exactly what I am looking for, I just need to know if it’s my size. And if you’d rather wait for some dude customer to sell it to, I might have to let the local women’s team know that your douchebag shop is a place they should avoid.”

Renny had lost his smirk a while ago and stepped back, hands up in a defensive gesture. “Whoa, that’s not…that’s not where I was going with my question at all. But I see how it came across that way, and I am sorry.”

Waverly was still fuming. How dare this dude with his badly fitting hat question her choices? Who did he think he was? 

Renny took a tentative step toward her again. “It sounds like you’ve done your research. Let’s go over and have a look at the size. Can I ask…what kind of riding you do? You seem to know your way around bikes.”

In the end, Waverly warmed up to Renny. He seemed helpful enough once they got past their initial misunderstanding, as he called it. With practised moves, Renny helped Waverly dial in the fit of the bike but recommended that she come in for a full bike fit later on if anything didn’t feel right or comfortable. She took the bike out for a spin around the block, asked for a small change to the angle of the saddle, but that was it. The bike felt great and rode like a dream. After a few more add-ons, like a water bottle and a tiny bell, Waverly was all set and rolled the bike out of the shop, beaming.

Time check. Waverly had about 20 minutes before Nicole was set to be home. She pulled out her phone to fire off a quick text.

W: You still on schedule for being home at 4?

She didn’t wait for a reply, and instead jumped on her brand new bike and rode along the various bike paths toward Nicole’s place. When she got near her destination, Waverly stopped and checked her phone.

N: I’m already home, actually. I had an issue with my derailleur toward the end of the ride and cut it a little short after that.

W: Oh okay. Yay. You’re home!  
W: Can you do me a favour? 

N: Of course. What’s up?

W: Can you come downstairs? I have some groceries that are heavy. I would love some help from a very strong athlete I know :)

N: LOL! Of course. Coming right down.

Waverly grinned. She slowly rolled to a small hedge that was at the end of a driveway on the small street. From here, she could see the house but Nicole wouldn’t be able to see her. She didn’t have to wait long. Nicole stepped out of the main entrance to the building, wearing her favourite hoodie and sweatpants. She could see how the other woman scanned the street, looking for Waverly. 

“Here we go.”

With a big grin, Waverly got back on the bike, her bike, and rode toward Nicole. She watched as Nicole spotted her, confused at first, but then she could see a smile stretch all the way across Nicole’s face. 

“Well, hello there. What’s this?” Nicole asked, nodding toward the bike. 

“It’s mine.” Waverly was practically floating with joy.

“Yours, huh? That’s a...very, very nice bike! And seems to fit you very well, too.”

“Yes!! And, it has rainbows!”

Nicole rolled her eyes but smiled broadly. “You know, somehow I always thought you’d be into blue as a bike colour.”

Waverly looked at her, head tilted sideways a little. “Nah. Blue is a cold colour. I don’t like being cold.”

Nicole nodded and pulled her closer, mindful of the bike between them. “That’s right. Well, congratulations on your very own, very not-blue race-ready bike! Want to come upstairs?”

“YES!”

Nicole laughed as they both turned toward the building. Just before they reached the door, Waverly stopped.

“Nicole?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I am going to take the bike to bed tonight. You can have the couch.”


End file.
